Your barista's got a mean left foot and she's about to prove it.
The Hospitality Cup is returning to Melbourne on 2 March, bringing 24 teams from some of the city’s best-known venues to the Home of the Matildas in Bundoora for a full-day five-a-side football tournament. Chefs, waitstaff and entire venue crews from spots like France Soir, Albert’s, Freddy’s, D.O.C and Emilia Trattoria are ditching their aprons for boots, and spectators can roll up for free.
The Hospitality Cup runs from 10am to 5pm and doubles as a hospitality festival in its own right. D.O.C is handling food for the players, the Mr Latino food truck is feeding everyone else, and the bar lineup includes Papa Salt, Tito’s Vodka, Heineken Silver and Bertie Cider.
The Hospitality Cup Melbourne 2026
- Home of the Matildas, Bundoora
- 2 March
- 10am to 5pm
- Free entry for spectators
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There’s also a dedicated Taittinger Champagne Lounge for anyone who wants to watch five-a-side with a glass of bubbles in hand, plus a coffee and water station courtesy of illy and San Pellegrino.
The event was founded by France Soir’s Jean-Baptiste Dumas as a way to get hospitality workers out from behind the bar and onto the pitch — a rare day off where the industry can connect outside of split shifts and midnight knockoffs. It also raises funds for a local charity supporting mental health in the hospitality sector, which remains one of the most high-pressure and burnout-prone industries going.
With 24 teams signed up, the tournament is the biggest edition yet. The lineup spans fine dining, Italian joints, neighbourhood favourites and late-night haunts, which means the sideline banter alone should be worth the trip to Bundoora.
For more information, head here.
